JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EYE

The problem with Nektar's "Journey" is not so much that they were "late to the party" though there is some truth to that, the problem is that their material is ho-hum. Nektar is a band that has never much impressed me. Their supposed classic "Remember the Future" was far outshone by their competition and was a rather repetitive sounding album. By 1974 other bands had covered similar ground more successfully and enjoyably to this listener. "Journey to the Centre of the Eye" has a few nice moments interspersed but as an album is below average in my view, presenting the rather cheesy side of psych (for '71) in a rambling absence of great songwriting. The album plods along with arbitrary spacey sounds linked to organ noodling followed by average guitar work and then a little thrown together vocal section. They really seem to be reacting to the musical scene of the day as opposed to following their own instincts---they seem frankly like they spent too little time in the composition stage and their album suffers for it. There is one particularly cool section in the middle of the album from "The Dream Nebula" through "It's all in the Mind." You'll find some interesting tortured psych-guitar here but it's nothing to write home about. For those interested in the history of psych-rock or the oft-mentioned pollination with Krautrock this may be a title of interest but it seems like a stretch to call it a recommended title to everyone, let alone an essential title as many have. The dreadful sound quality doesn't help matters much but there is a newer remastered version, perhaps if I had that one I might see the light.

Share this NEKTAR review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to Finnforest
• Report this review (#166555)
• Buy NEKTAR music online with PA partners
• Show all NEKTAR MP3/Stream
• Go to NEKTAR page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Journey to the Centre of the Eye page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for NEKTAR related discussions